Introduction

First and foremost, what we need to get the level up and running is to place a valid Player Character (or rather, Player Character Group) into the level.

The Group is a special type of object that exists only in the editor but is essentially a packaged collection of other objects. This is the most convenient way to install a Player into the level at this time.

Look for the Entities section in the upper right of the main Scene Toolbar and locate the General → group type of object.

Setting the Group

When you select any object of any type from the list, this switches the scene tool to add mode which allows you to place the object into the scene. This is similar to the Entity List window in that regard but allows you to place objects right away as seen here:

On top of the drop-down menu, the last selected types of objects are visible. After exiting the editor (provided the level has been saved) and launching the editor again, the Entities menu will display the last selected object type.

You can also place an object of the last selected type (the one visible in the Entities menu) into the scene just by hitting the A button (shortcut to select the "Add" Cursor Mode) and clicking in the Viewport:

Place the group at the spot where you want your Player Character to be standing.

Character Setup 

After you place a blank group, it will be shown as a red box up until you add objects into it or set its reference which will import objects from the file in the \content\groups\ directory.

1. Select the recently placed group.
2. Go to the Properties window.
   

3. Locate the Base property and rename the group into something more appropriate, e.g. gr_player.

   Base and Reference names are not the same.

   Base is how an object – any object, not just a Group – is called in the level.

   Reference is more like a "template" name for a Group which is saved on your HDD in the content\groups\ directory.

4. Locate the Reference property in the list.
5. Click the |...| button to access the Select Group browser window.
6. Type the path to the Metro Exodus Player group – entity_props\player_metro_3\player_metro_3 and click OK to confirm.
7. Finally, tick the Auto Refresh property so that this group is always up-to-date with its reference.
   
   

Arming the Player With a Weapon 

Now, let's arm the Player with a basic weapon.

1. With the same approach as before, locate the Entities menu on a toolbar and select weapons → kalash.
2. Place a Kalash anywhere on the level.
3. Be sure to rename the placed weapon to something you would associate with the player, such as kalash_for_player.

4. Select the player group (either in the level itself or in the Object List with gr_player typed into the Find field).

   It is VERY easy to forget about clearing the Find field and then spend minutes wondering where all the objects are! So, be sure to clear it once you have located the object you were looking for. What you type into this field works as a filter, showing you only the objects that correspond to filter. Use the |X| controller button or your DEL key on a keyboard to clear the field.

5. Go to the Properties window.
6. Look for the active weapon property, click the |...| button and assign the kalash_for_player to the player.
   

If done correctly, you can now play your level in the editor and test things from the player's perspective right away:

• To Game – start the game (shortcut: F5).
• To Game Sync – start the game and spawn the player at the camera's current position (shortcut: F6).